Zeal (The Last One)
by Kimchi Poutine - Inactive
Summary: A series of slightly disconnected one-shots featuring most of the characters.
1. Lime

The more she travelled with the senior members of the famed Grand Chase, the more inclined she was to think that they were some sort of godly creatures sent by the God of All Beginnings, the first Creator. Perhaps that thought was a tad illogical, since the ancient texts of the Holy Kingdom didn't exactly glorify the destructive demons as 'god-like creatures', and with four (and a half) in the team, she had been a little unnerved at first.

Adjusting to the routines of the Grand Chase wasn't hard, though. It didn't matter if she was working with demons; as long as she was able to carry out her passion of justice against the evil forces, the Holy Knight was content.

"Lime, behind you!"

"Yes~!" Gripping her gavel with both hands, she spun with all her might, using the weight of her weapon to smack an approaching Skeleton Archer, reducing it to a heap of bones as it disintegrated under the force. She grinned in triumph before a rough force jabbed into her back, knocking her face-first onto the ground. From somewhere above, a Harpy squawked in mocking triumph as it dove in for another strike.

From a distance, another companion watched on in annoyed distaste. "Useless. Garouille, Ice Bless." With a flick of her fingers, the gargoyle soared up, encasing the offending Harpy in a giant block of ice with its breath, letting it plunge to the ground and narrowly missing a dazed Holy Knight.

"Aie!" She squealed. However, instead of remaining in shock or getting ticked at the female demon, Lime simply swung her gavel and beamed towards Ley, yelling, "Thank you!"

She rolled her eyes. "Humph."

"They are retreating." Mari informed the rest as the monsters that weren't destroyed were fleeing towards the safety of the nearby mountains. "Are we to pursue them?"

"No." Ronan came into view, sheathing his blade. "We were sent to secure the surrounding villages, not wage a full-scale slaughter. The towns are secured; our mission is completed. Let's go back."

"Yes, let's." Ley agreed, looking at her hand. "I almost broke a nail."

Lime huffed in annoyance. "We can't just let them escape!" She swung her hammer for emphasis. "Of all the monsters that threatened the people, not even a third of them received justice for their crimes! Why are we letting them escape? We have to stop them!"

"Like the way you 'stopped' the Harpy?" The demon scoffed.

"Oh, come on~" Fatigue and excess fighting made Amy revert to her childish, whining, immature personality. "I'm cold! I'm hungry! I'm tired! Can we please go home?"

"…" Lime bit her lip. She was tired too, yes, but justice was more important! They needed to carry out righteousness to fight back the evil forces that would raze the world if left unchecked. Why would…why was she seeing three Amys? The earth was collapsing under her…

"Oh great, she's out cold." Ley smacked a hand to her face, annoyed. "I thought the holy human would have more stamina. It seems I overestimate humans way too much." By now Mari, Ronan, and Amy were huddled around Lime. "We're all here? Good. Because I am not going to carry that oversized mallet."

It was not a fun ride back home. Amy was near fainting herself, tripping over every rock and root that lay in her way, Ley had flown several kilometres before calling on Jeeves to carry her the rest of the way, and Ronan didn't look too hot either as he pushed a shopping cart-like instrument that held Lime's Gavel, courtesy of Mari and her perpetually genius intellect. With a calm face that betrayed no exhaustion, Kounat's survivor walked briskly, having her Soul takers conjoin in a way that made an unusual but workable stretcher that carried the Knight as it floated by Mari's side.

"Why don't you just make that for all of us?" Amy grumbled.

"KORMET and my intelligence do have their limitations and the power mechanisms at hand are severely shortened, the gravity-defying apparatus and devices being rendered near-obsolete by the—"

Only understanding the words 'the' and 'and', Amy mumbled something unintelligible as she tuned out Mari's explanation.

* * *

"That's the third assault this week!" Elesis slammed the head desk in frustration, the splintering wood doing little to defuse her anger. "Just what the hell is going on? What are they after?"

"It has to be Ashtaroth. Who else would have such a foul presence that would rile up all the monsters of Aernas?"

"That little bastard." Both Siegharts looked equally enraged at the name; a disturbing sight. "When I find him, I swear, I'll hack him up and shove a…" The elder broke off, looked around, and sighed in relief. "Good, she always goes a little funny when she hears the name."

"You mean Mari?"

"No, the _other_ survivor of Kounat with the mismatched eyes." He got up, cricking his neck and arms. "That's about it."

Murmuring, the few others that had gathered in the main bureau also drifted out, a few complaining about the increase in monster raids, but they didn't seem too troubled yet.

Yet.

Massaging her temple, Elesis turned to the desk, which now had a gaping fissure from her fist. "Damn, now I have to get that fixed."

"Are you all right, Lady Elesis?"

"Hn?" Turning her head, she saw their newest recruit, smiling radiantly as if she had never passed out from her last mission. "Lime, I told you, don't call me 'Lady Elesis'. I'm a Knight, not a lady." She said, knowing that the Holy Knight would probably forget.

"Yes, Lady Elesis!" Sigh.

"I heard that you fainted in today's mission. Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Oh no! I'm perfectly fine now, thank you." She shook her head, beaming. "The monsters are running rampant all over Aernas, how could I rest when they all have to be stopped?"

Elesis nodded in approval; of the most recent members of the Chase, this one showed the most potential. Fighting, healing, supporting in one, an ardent desire to achieve justice… "But you have to rest or you'll just be a burden to others. I don't blame you, though; the monsters are becoming more violent and stronger than before. If you want to keep fighting, you have to rest."

"But—" Lime cut herself off at the look the Leader gave her. Despite her countless denials that she had no relation to the Goddesses whatsoever, the Holy Knight couldn't help but see too many similarities between the Knight and the Goddess of War and Courage. Same imposing figure, hair the colour of warfire, and one of the ancient texts depicted Lady Ernasis punishing demons with her sisters with the same expression that Elesis was wearing right now…

"Yes, Lady Ernasis." Lime walked out.

"I told you, it's _Elesis!_ " She threw her hands in exasperation.

* * *

"My Lady." Her butler stood in a bowed position in the hallway in front of his mistress, who remained floating as she scanned the walls inattentively.

"What is it _now_ , Jeeves?"

"Your Lord Father is becoming restless. He insists that you contact him upon securing the intended allegiance of the Burning Canyon clan…"

She huffed in annoyance. "I am aware. But is Father also aware of the other problem that we are facing right now?"

"Do you mean the one who proclaims himself a god, my Lady? He who seeks the Soul Stone?"

"Yes, that idiot who thought blowing up Kounat would make him a deity. Stupid human gone rabid. I could feel his influence in every monster I've killed. His forces are growing stronger." She sighed, dropping her wings in an uncharacteristic display of fatigue as her feet slumped on the ground. "I'm…so tired…and because Elyos is so connected to Aernas, if this dimension is annihilated, Elyos will also cease to exist. Pathetic monsters don't know how to take a _hint_..."

"It would do no good for the others to see you in such a weakened state, My Lady, especially the Master of the Canyon clan whom you despise so much. Shall you retire to your quarters?"

"I think I shall do that." she mumbled. "And bring me that orange human drink I had yesterday."

"The shake, My Lady?"

"Mhm, one of the few human concoctions that is actually palatable."

The two demons vanished from the corridor, and their accidental listener remained hidden in the corner before discreetly running back to her room and bolting it shut, leaning against the door in quick gasps.

Once she was certain that they did not catch her overhearing them and weren't going to come after her, she allowed herself to relax, taking a few steps before collapsing onto her bed. Mari had put her Gavel back in its case when they had returned, but she gave it little thought, her mind still on the demons' conversation. So it wasn't just her; even the demons were feeling the increase of power from their enemies. The evil forces were becoming more powerful by the day, and her powers…remained the same. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to enforce justice…

But she mustn't think like that! She was a Holy Knight, chosen by the pope to bring peace and divine retribution to those of darkness. If they grew stronger, than she would just increase her powers even more. She needed to hone her skills, but who could help her become stronger?

Who?

Her skills weren't enough as they were currently, so who could she turn to for help…?

* * *

"…And that's why I need your help! Please train me!" She bowed low before the bemused leader.

She had gone through all the Chasers' fighting styles, techniques, and capabilities, and decided that because she was still a rookie compared to all of them, she would ask all of them for extra guidance and training. And who better to start with than (who she believed to be) the living incarnation of the Leader of her revered Goddesses, Lady Ernasis—Elesis?

The redhead folded her arms, thinking. Although she was a bit overbearing when it came to extracting justice and order, Lime Serenity had potential. Even though she had to tell this recruit that she was sure she wasn't a goddess more times than she could count, it was somewhat flattering that she was mistaken as a deity. Besides, what better way to spend the short and fragile moments of peace than train the newcomer? "All right, but you have to learn quickly. Let's go to the combat zone."

"Yay!" Her face, which had been clouded with nervousness a second before, now shined radiantly in every sense of the word. "Thank you, Lady Ernasis!"

"It's Elesis!"

Elesis and Lime didn't broadcast their training session, but the news travelled fast. So it was no surprise that the field had a few interested spectators gathered at the sidelines. Amy liked Lime; both had an endless supply of bouncy energy that never ran out, so she would obviously be there to support her friend. Rin was curious at how people could fight with such heavy weapons when her light fan was all she carried. And interestingly wherever Rin was, Asin was never far behind. Whether he wished to see the fighting abilities of other Chasers, annoy Amy to torment Jin, or took it as his personal mission to stalk the goddess, one could never tell.

"Go Lime! Kick Ellie's butt!"

To compromise with Lime's low dexterity, Elesis had switched to her biggest, heaviest weapon, the Giant Sword. That didn't mean she was going to go easy. She never did.

Which was why Rin was uttering a silent prayer for the Holy Knight that she'd survive.

"Let's go!"

The combat zone was wide, very openly so. And since both combatants started on opposite sides of the field, some of the excitement was a bit deflated as the first twenty seconds were spent on actually getting themselves towards each other, huffing and puffing with their heavy weapons.

"Elesis! You _gotta_ move faster than that!" Amy taunted.

"Shut up, pumpkin! You're next!"

"Yeah? You'd probably go crying to Ronan after I beat you up!"

"Don't make me Chaos Judgement you! I'm not the one who wears Jin's hoodie just because it smells like him!"

"What—how'd you know that?!" Amy stood up, flustered.

Fortunately Elesis did not have to respond as just then, Lime raised her hammer directly for her head.

Neither of them were going to hold back.


	2. Elesis, Zero

"You!"

Nearly everyone inwardly cringed at the sound of her voice. When Elesis used that tone, it meant some serious shit was about to go down. Even her ancestor found himself apprehensive whenever Little Red called to him like that. Why she couldn't have inherited his laziness and ability to take things with a reasonable(?) amount of indolence, he had no idea. Fortunately, it wasn't him that she was looking at today. Tracing her gaze, the Chasers found themselves looking at Zero, who was gazing into the campfire with his sword lying against his side.

Noting the sudden silence, he raised his head, disconcerted by the unusual amount of attention he was receiving. "Me." It was meant as a question, but somehow it ended up sounding like a statement, which infuriated the Red Knight even further.

"Yes, you!" Elesis gestured impatiently. "Come! Hurry up!" Without even waiting for a reply, she turned and stalked off towards the trees, some distance away from camp.

"Wow, what did you do?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "She looks pretty mad."

"I do not think I have done anything that could have irritated the Leader in such a degree." Zero replied, his composure masking the slight uneasiness inside him. He tried to remember what he did that deserved the Leader's wrath: He spent most of his time with Grandark. Occasionally he talked to the others, but it was they who usually initiated the little conversation they had. He slept. He didn't eat much, as human food was mildly repulsive to him like any other demon would be. That's what he had always done. So what then?

Sieghart looked thoughtful for a moment before laziness settled over him again. "Nah, don't worry too much about it, kid. Red's just probably in one of her moods. You know, girl stuff. Just try not to die."

 _Vulgar oaf,_ it chimed in, blinking heatedly at the yawning immortal. _Why a pig-headed descendant of that lazy fool has been chosen leader of this ragtag group of misfits, I will never know. Zero, go. Maybe if we're in luck, we can defeat her and actually do something useful._

Zero made his way through the camp and into the clump of trees where he last saw the redhead disappear through and hoped she was not in "one of her moods."

"Will he be okay?" Rin wondered aloud as she watched him go. "Elesis seemed awfully mad…"

"Don't worry." Lire assured the goddess with a smile. "She never hurts her comrades. That is simply how she reaches out to others."

"Yes, what a _great_ way to reach out." Asin mumbled, rolling his eyes, not realizing that he wasn't exactly one to talk.

Zero dragged his feet, and Grandark, he made his way to the Leader. As soon as he was within distance, Elesis, quick as a flash, unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Zero.

With composure of steel, he put a hand on his own blade, saying, "What is the meaning of this?" as opposed to his sword, which began spewing insults.

"You said you've met my father, haven't you?" She pressed the blade closer to his neck. "Elscud Sieghart? I'm sure if you put your mind to it you'll remember."

As a matter of fact, Zero _did_ remember the man that he had fought, one of the very few that Grandark had given its grudging approval at his strength. Whispers among the Chase had also informed him that the girl that was menacing him now was the only daughter of that man. The skills he had learned from him were unlike any other, but that was all Elscud Sieghart was to him: a teacher and a skilled swordsman. What Zero did not understand was how from such a self-possessed and refined warrior came...this girl that was threatening to decapitate him.

 _Just like your lazy excuse of an ancestor, no brains at all,_ the sword was taunting. _Threatening the one who holds knowledge of your supposed father gets you a looong way, doesn't it?_

"And tell your sword to shut up!"

He sighed. Nonetheless, he answered her question as he gently pushed hew sword aside. "Yes, I had met the Kanavan Tracker on my journey. Even Gran had acknowledged his combat skill which transcends humans overall. But I do not know where he has gone afterwards..."

"Nothing? Not even a hint?"

 _Even if he did, what make you think Zero would tell you?_ _At least Elscud was smart enough to not try to stab his saviour, even teach Zero a few things. You_ _'_ _re sure he_ _'_ _s your father, girl? If he is, you certainly didn_ _'_ _t inherit his more_ _favourable attributes._

"Shut _up_ , you stupid piece of junk! Nobody's listening to you!"

"Gran, that's enough." Zero sighed. To Elesis, "No, he was a most...reserved man. But he is a capable swordsman; I do not think that he has ceased to exist."

"You're sure?"

"It is only a thought." he mused.

Elesis looked like she was about to stab him, but slowly lowered her blade, putting it back in its sheath. She did not know what to feel. It seemed everyone had met her father: Sieghart, Zero, Kaze'Aze, demons of other dimensions...everyone except her. And even then, only bits and fragments of what he did and who he once was. Sieghart claimed to know little, if any at all, and now amount of yelling and threatening could make him budge. Whether he genuinely didn't know or was purposefully hiding information from her...

Damn Kaze'Aze and her cryptic taunts about her father rotting in some abyss! And here was this masked demon telling her that...he met him. They had talked. Did he remember anything? Did he remember that he had a home, a daughter that endlessly pursued him?

She wanted to extract every single bit of information she could, but she...now she needed to think. She had to believe that Elscud was still alive, because to consider him dead would have made her entire journey pointless. If he was dead, she had to at least get solid confirmation for that, and if there was any, bury his remains with honour.

Zero may not be the most reliable source for information, but it was all she had. It was something to grasp at, something to hold onto other than her own increasingly tenuous faith in her father.

"I see." The voice came out thick, and she hated it. She needed to go, right now. "...thanks. And don't tell the others!"

"Will she be all right?" Zero wondered, watching her run. "Should I go after her?"

 _Didn_ _'_ _t Oz give you brains, boy?_ Gran snorted. _Girls and their sentimentality are best left alone. Now carry me, I feel cold._

"...You're a sword. You don't need heat."

 _Don_ _'_ _t pester me with your logic!_

They, or he, trudged back to the campfire, ignoring the inquiring stares. "So, what did she want?"

"...I am not permitted to tell you."

Ronan glanced up and frowned, but did not say anything as Sieghart continued to pester the demon, saying "Aw come on~ does she have a crush on you?"

"She does not wish to crush me, I think." The same couldn't be said for Gran, sadly.

"Ah well, she'll come to." Sieghart rolled on his side, stretching lazily with a yawn. "What's for dinner?"

"Stew." Ronan turned his attention back to the pot over the fire.

"Again?" the elder grumbled. "Come on!"

"We're out in the wilderness, far from civilization." Lass jibed as he munched on an apple. "If it's not fancy enough for you, old man, don't eat."

"You're so rude."

"He has a point, Sir Sieghart."

"Lire, not you too?!"

It was always noisy with Sieghart around. Zero didn't like excessive noise. When dinner was finally served, he quietly accepted a bowl and sat some distance away. He wasn't indifferent to the Grand Chase, but wasn't sure how to interact with them. Aside from the occasional word and stares, he was content to be in the background, observing, contemplating.

"She's not here."

 _Why does that bother you, fool?_

"It doesn't. I just thought…"

"Darn!" Ryan dug into his backpack, taking out bottles filled with strange brown liquid that seemed to come alive. "I thought I packed water...I must have gotten the wrong bottles...whoops."

"How do you confuse _coke_ with _water?_ " Amy asked in disbelief. "They're not even the same colour!"

"Sorry, sorry! I was in a hurry, and I didn't have time to actually look at the bottles I was grabbing..."

Asin, who had never seen a carbonated drink before, took a bottle and stared at it curiously, watching the bubbles fizz and pop violently with every shake. How very interesting! He shook it harder till the bottle seemed to shake by itself. Beside him, Rin watched too with innocent amazement; not even plum juice could do that!

"Asin don't do that! Shaking makes it explode when you open it!" Amy snapped.

He looked up, a glint in his eyes. "It does...?" He gave the bottle a few more tosses, and with a quick sweep of his hand, busted off the cap and threw the two-litre coke bomb into the air...

...landing right onto Jin's face in an explosion of brown foam and carbonated liquids.

As the boy spluttered and attempted to wipe off the disgusting froth, Asin chuckled at his success. Even Rin let out a hysterical giggle before clamping her mouth shut.

"So, _Jin_..." His lip curled at the utterance of the name as he eyed the warrior, giving a whatchu-gonna-do-now?-Come-at-me-bro look.

In the commotion, Zero picked up one of the unscathed bottles that rolled towards him. The drink inside fizzed with bubbles as if it were boiling, the bottle was cold in his hand. He had tried one of these concoctions before. They scalded his mouth but the pain came with a pleasurable taste that left a crisp aftertaste.

"You gonna drink that?"

How strange; he thought she'd linger in the forest longer and brood, let alone come after him, again.

"Do you want it?" He held it up, undaunted by her looming over him.

 _Still can't believe this oaf and that sloth are connected to one of the better human scum._

"If that thing says that one more time I'll break it."

 _Zero would never let that happen._ Gran had no face, but she could feel how smug he was. _Your flimsy metal won't make a dent anyway._

Elesis snorted in disgust. "I'll take half." She took the bottle and seated herself beside the demon.

 _And who invited you to be here? Go break a rock or something._

Cranking open the bottle with a loud _pop_ , Elesis rolled her eyes. "I don't need an object's permission." Tossing the cap aside, she was about to take a big swing before pausing to say, "I'm assuming you don't care about germs."

"Um…"

 _He's impervious to whatever filthy disease your body contains._

Elesis couldn't think of a snappy comeback just then. She'd think of the perfect one long after the opportunity went by. Instead she said, "How about I pour this over you instead?"

"…Why?"

"Not you, him!"

 _The question still stands. Not that it'd affect me._

"Gran doesn't drink coke."

"Whatever." Elesis plopped down, handed the untouched coke to him. "It'd be nice to pour it over and watch the bugs come crawling."

 _Are you sure you're the daughter of Elscud?_

"Shut up." Back to Zero, "What did he say?"

"Pardon?"

"My father. Tell me about him—please." Elesis plopped beside him, looking contrite.

"What about him?"

"Everything."

That wasn't helpful. Zero observed, "You miss him."

Elesis stared at him. "Wow. Really?"

 _Silly humans and their sentimental attachments; tell me, child, do you think you're the only one who fights for the sake of another? That you're a lone martyr-to-be in your ever so noble cause?_

"Gran, that's harsh."

 _Truth is always harsh, boy. All of these infidels are fighting for their own dumb reasons. Power, revenge, whatever. I always find those who fight for others more interesting, even if they're pathetically weak._

"Except Elscud."

 _Hmph. We have yet to see if he's successful in his suicide quest._

"That's true." Zero acknowledged.

"He fought to protect." Elesis affirmed.

"He fought for many reasons." Zero answered. "He was an unusual man."

"Where did you meet him, exactly?"

"I saw him at—"

The rest, of course, was history.


End file.
